1. Adelaide United (1)
Adelaide United lost for the first time since round eight, all the way back in November, so it would be boarder-line criminal to drop them from top spot on the rankings. Nick Fitzgerald's 71st minute goal was enough to knock Adelaide off the top of the table and send some doubt through a squad that had been dominating all before them for months. This just wasn't their night. There were no glaring weaknesses exposed nor were they played off the park. They just failed to create those chances they had been creating for months prior. They travel to Pirtek this weekend to face the Wanderers in a game that could go a long way to deciding the premiership.
2. Perth Glory (2)
The Glory recorded their second win in a row following the slip up away to the Wanderers, and remain one of the form teams of the competition. Although most had them winning their game over the hapless Mariners, in all honesty they did it pretty easily. Keogh put them ahead inside five minutes and although it remained one-nil until the 53rd minute, it always felt a matter of time. Two red cards to the Mariners certainly didn't help, but Perth created 21 chances to just two, and those stats are going to lead to big wins more times than not. The win entrenches the Glory in the top six and has them strong favourites to finish above either the Victory of Sydney FC.
3. Brisbane Roar (3)
The Roar continued their resurgence and return to the top of the A-League ladder following a brilliant 5-0 thumping of the Melbourne Victory. Jamie Maclaren responded to being overlooked for Socceroo duty by netting three goals, while Brown and Carona also added their names to the scoresheet. The Roar recorded an incredible 12 shots on goal from 20 overall, and could have made it even more embarrassing had Danny Vukovic not been a man possessed in the second half. Dimitri Petratos continued his brilliant season with one of the assists of the season for Maclaren's second. If you haven't seen the goal, you certainly need to.
4. Western Sydney Wanderers (4)
The Wanderers left Hunter stadium with three points that send them back to an equal share of the A-League table lead, but they made hard work of it. The Wanderers fans will be asking how they didn't end the contest midway through the second half when the ball barely left the Jets penalty area. Jaushua Sotirio's 17th minute goal proved enough, but they were forced to endure a nervy ending despite dominating the game. That being said, the win is what is important for the Wanderers who host Adelaide this coming weekend. A win would mean the premiership plate became a straight shootout between them and the Roar. A draw or loss opens the gate for Adelaide and City. Important game this one.
5. Melbourne City (5)
Melbourne City did what seemed like the impossible in stopping Adelaide United's run. Their goal came through an unlikely source, but Nick Fitzgerald's first goal for the club was enough to parcel the points away from home. This game wasn't the usual free-flowing, attacking game we have come to expect from Melbourne City, but that they were able to grind out a hugely important win is worth its weight in gold. The three points puts them right in the thick of the race to the premier's plate and all but guarantees finals footy.
6. Wellington Phoenix (7)
The Phoenix look to be out of finals contention but their 3-1 win away from home over Sydney FC gives them a slight hope. Blake Powell continued his golden run, again punishing a Sydney side on their own turf, when he opened the scoring in just the eleventh minute. From there they cruised to a 3-0 halftime lead through goals to Watson and Bonevacia, and although they did concede in the second half, they deserved every bit of their three points. They'll likely need to win each of their four remaining fixtures to realistically play finals football, but their games against the Victory and Glory have the added bonus of pinning their opponents back also.
7. Newcastle Jets (6)
The Jets fell 1-0 at home to the Wanderers and now look at very long odds to claim an unlikely finals spot. Despite having a shot cleared off the line in stoppage time, it's really anyone's guess as to how they were still in the game at that point. A string of outright amazing Mark Birighitti saves combined with some wasteful Wanderer finishing had a lot to do with it, but given the amount of times the Wanderers had the ball in the Jets penalty area, the game should have been iced. Given the fact that both the Victory and Sydney FC lost, this was not the performance expected by a side who could have put real pressure on those two sides in the final weeks.
8. Melbourne Victory (8)
The Victory were absolutely taken apart by a rampant Brisbane Roar side, and sit in the finals spots only due to Sydney FC's form being worse than their own. In all honesty the Roar would have beaten any side on the night but the Victory offered very little considering they are defending champions and barely hanging onto a finals spot. The Victory played their part, creating ten chances, but they conceded double that to their hosts, and copped what they deserved on the score-line. Danny Vukovic was arguably responsible for the second goal but was responsible for keeping the score-line somewhat respectable in the end.
9. Sydney FC (9)
Sydney FC had a chance to return to the finals positions as they hosted the travelling Phoenix, but instead now find themselves at long odds to feature come the business end of the competition. Although the Phoenix were good, Sydney FC were equally as bad, continuing a horror run of form. Sydney FC, to their credit, were much better in the second half, but after heading into the break at 3-0 down, it was going to take something special to snap their winless run. Milos Ninkovic's injury looks as though it will end his season, and just may have ended Sydney's season as well. Filip Holosko's 53rd minute goal provided some hope, but it never looked like a miracle was on the cards.
10. Central Coast Mariners (10)
Season 2015/16 went from bad to worse for the Mariners as they were officially confirmed as wooden spooners, upsetting their core fans in the process. A 4-0 loss away to Perth on the surface is, although not good, not the end of the world, however even the biggest fans of the club, members of the Yellow Army, took to social media to blast the lack of effort in this contest. Truth be told this could have gotten ugly, as Perth had 21 shots, nine on goal to just two to the Mariners. Two red cards within five minutes ended the slim hopes the Mariners had of a result. I can't say I blame those fans of the club who have overseen possibly the worst A-League campaign to date.
